The Pistons drafted Brandon Knight, top, in the first round and Kyle Singler, left, and Vernon Macklin in the second round on Thursday. / Photo illustration

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This was a chaotic, unpredictable, wild NBA draft, with players rising and falling, teams stunned by the players taken in front of them, and the Minnesota Timberwolves panicking and drafting two stay-at-home defensemen. And in Detroit, it produced a shocking result:

You will like your team again.

Brandon Knight is not a savior, but he doesn't act like he thinks he is a savior. Knight is the Greg Monroe of point guards -- a potential All-Star with an impeccable reputation and the right values. The Pistons would have preferred taller players like Jonas Valanciunas or Jan Vesely, because centers and power forwards are hard to find in the NBA. But the guy they got might turn out to be better.

Put Knight and Monroe on the floor together, and the pieces will start working together. Instead of relying on Rodney Stuckey to be a point guard and a leader -- at this point, he is clearly neither -- they can re-sign Stuckey to be their shooting guard and see if he thrives.

In the NBA, you need really talented guys who put winning first. The Pistons now have one at point guard to work with Monroe.

"He has one of these incredible work ethics that you hear about, hours and hours and hours in the gym," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said. "Totally dedicated. And what we feel is probably the most high-character guy in the draft."

This is what I like about Knight:

Everybody in basketball knew he would be a one-and-done player at Kentucky. His coach, John Calipari, recruited him with that implicit understanding. When Knight got to Kentucky, the NCAA ruled that his freshman teammate, Enes Kanter, was ineligible for the season.

A lot of players in Knight's position would have tried to put up big numbers and leave. Knight was clearly invested in Kentucky's success. It showed in his defense and the way he rallied his team. He was the biggest reason Kentucky made the Final Four.

When the Wildcats got to the Final Four, they lost to Kemba Walker and Connecticut, and I imagine a lot of Pistons fans wanted Walker.

I would rather have Knight. He is 2 inches taller, is a better three-point shooter and is more of a pure point guard. It's not entirely fair to compare Knight this year with Walker this year, because Knight was a freshman and Walker a junior. I think five years from now, Knight is more likely to be an important player on a contender.

Time will tell. Maybe Walker will be a star and Knight will be overwhelmed. But I like Knight's chances.

The Pistons are about to go from a dysfunctional mess to ... well, I don't know how good they will be. They still need size and experience. And a coach. And a collective bargaining agreement. So it's early to project any records.

The maddening part of last season was that the Pistons' most important players didn't seem to care enough. That won't be an issue anymore. This team is in the hands of Brandon Knight and Greg Monroe now. Enjoy the climb.